Likewise, he who is possessed by anger is intoxicated, his face swells, and his voice becomes hoarse, and his eyes are filled with blood, and his mind is darkened, and his sense is lost, and his tongue trembles, and his eyes wander, and his ears hear one thing instead of another, because anger strikes the brain more strongly than any wine, and produces in it a storm and uncontrollable agitation. But if everyone who is possessed by lust and anger is drunk, how much more intoxicated and foolish is the wicked man, who offends God, who resists His laws, and does not want to abandon this foolish obstinacy; he is worse than both the frenzied and the frenzied, although he himself does not seem to feel it. Intoxication is especially characteristic of the fact that a person, acting disorderly, does not feel it at all, since the misfortune of madness lies especially in the fact that the sick do not even realize that they are sick. In the same way, the Jews, who are drunk now, do not feel this. And so their fast, which is more shameful than any drunkenness, has passed; but we, however, will not cease to care for our brethren, and will not think that it is no longer time to take care of them, but will act as soldiers do.

In the same way, just as we have already driven out the Jews by the mercy of God, having armed the prophets against them, now, returning, let us look in all directions, whether any of our brethren have fallen, whether anyone has not been carried away by this fast, whether anyone has participated in the Jewish feast; We will not betray anyone to burial, but we will raise and heal everyone. In external battles, a warrior who has once fallen and given up his soul can no longer rise and return to life; and in this war and battle, even if someone receives a mortal wound, we can, if we wish, with the help of the grace of God, bring him back to life. Here death is not by nature, as it is there, but by freedom and volition; and the dead will can be resurrected, the dead soul can be forced to return to its life and know its Lord.

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Let us not be lazy, brethren, let us not weaken, let us not lose our vigor. Do not tell me such words that it was necessary to warn and do everything before the fast (of the Jews), and now, when the fast is already over, how the sin has been committed, how iniquity has been committed, what will be the benefit (of admonition)? Whoever knows what it is to take care of one's brethren also knows that now it is especially necessary to take care and show all diligence. One should not only warn before sin, but after the fall should give one's hand. If God had acted in this way from the beginning, if He had warned only before sin, and after sin, rejected (man) and left him to lie forever in the fall, then none of us would ever have been saved. But He, Who loves mankind and is merciful, and most of all desires our salvation, does not do this, but even after (our sins) shows (for us) great care. Thus He warned Adam even before sin, and said to him: "From every tree in paradise thou shalt take away food: but from the tree, if thou knowest good and evil, thou shalt not take away from it: but in the next day thou shalt take away, ye shall die of death" (Gen. 2:10). II, 16, 17). Behold, (God) warned against the lightness of the law, and by the abundance of permitted (fruits), and by the severity of the punishment threatened, and by the speed of its execution (for He did not say, "After one, or two, or three days," but, "On the very day in which you will be carried away, you will die"), and in every way in which it was necessary to warn a person. However, when man, even after such care, teaching, admonition, and beneficence, fell down and did not obey the commandment, God did not say: "What more good is to be expected? What is the use? (A man) has tasted, fell, transgressed the law, believed the devil, dishonored My commandments, received a blow, became dead, gave himself over to death, fell into condemnation; why else talk to him?"

(God) did the same with Cain. And he warned him and admonished him even before his sin, saying, "Thou hast sinned, be silent: his appeal is to thee, and thou shalt possess that (Abel)" (Gen. 2:10). IV, 7). Look, how much wisdom and understanding! Thou fearest, saith God, lest thy brother, whom I esteemed, should take away from thee the privilege which belonged to the firstborn, lest he steal thy preeminence (for the firstborn were to enjoy greater honor than those born after them). Be trustworthy, do not be afraid, and do not worry about it: his appeal is to you, and you will possess it. That is, remain in the honor of the firstborn, be your brother's refuge, covering, and protection, and possess and rule over him; Only do not indulge in murder, do not come to a legitimate defeat (of your brother). However, even after this, Cain did not listen and did not calm down, but committed that abominable murder, and plunged his right hand into his brother's neck. What then? Did God say, "Let us leave him at last, what good can we expect? He committed murder, killed his brother, disdained My admonition, dared to commit an incorrigible and unforgivable murder, after having so much benefited from such care, instruction, and exhortation; I threw it all out of my mind, paid no attention to anything. So let him finally be forsaken and abandoned, and not be worthy of any care on My part." God did not say or do anything of the kind; on the contrary, he came to him another time, corrected this man, and said, "Where is Abel thy brother?" (v. 9). Nor does he abandon him when he renounces; on the contrary, he brings him, and against his will, to the consciousness of the crime; and when (Cain) answered, "I do not know," said (God), "Your brother's blood cries out to me" (v. 10); the deed itself, he says, heralds murder. What about Cain? My guilt is forsaken by me. If thou hast driven me out of the earth, I will hide myself from thy presence" (vv. 13 and 14). This means: I have sinned so grievously that I do not deserve an apology, nor forgiveness, nor forgiveness of guilt; but if Thou wouldst avenge what I have done, let I, who am deprived of Thy protection, be subject to all (who wish to kill me). What about God? Not so: whosoever slayeth Cain shall be avenged seven times, v. 15. Do not be afraid of this, he says; you will live long, and whoever kills you will suffer many punishments (the number seven in the Scriptures means an indefinite multitude). For Cain was doomed to many punishments, anxiety, trembling, groaning, despondency, and weakness of the body; then he who killed you (Cain), says God, and freed you from these punishments, will bring punishment upon himself. These words seem heavy and unbearable, yet they show great solicitude. Wishing to bring descendants to reason, God invented a method of punishment that could cleanse Cain himself from sin. If He had killed Cain immediately, he would have died, hiding his sin, and would not have been known to posterity. But now, left to live for a long time in that trembling, he became a teacher for everyone with whom he met, by his very appearance and the trembling of his body he urged everyone not to attempt such things, so as not to suffer the same punishments. On the other hand, he himself became better: for trembling and fear, constant restlessness and relaxation of the body, restrained him as if by a kind of bridle, and did not allow him to fall again into another similar crime, constantly reminded him of his former sin, and thus made his soul more humble.

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But while I was saying this, it occurred to me to propose the question: why Cain, although he confessed his sin, condemned his deed, and said of himself that he had sinned unpardonably and did not deserve to be excused at all, yet could not be cleansed from sin (while the prophet says: "Thou shalt speak thy iniquities first, that thou mayest be justified" (Isa. XLIII, 26), on the contrary - still condemned? Because he did not say as the prophet commanded. The prophet said not simply: "Thou shalt speak thy iniquities, but how? Thou shalt speak before thy iniquity. The main thing is this: not just to say, but to say first, not to wait for the accuser and accuser. But Cain did not say the first, but waited for rebuke from God, and even then, when God rebuked him, he denied it. Finally, he confessed his sin when the case was decisively revealed, and this is no longer a confession. In the same way, beloved, when you sin, do not wait for reproof from another, but before you are rebuked and accused, condemn your own actions; for if another has already rebuked you, your confession will not be your work, but the fruit of external denunciation. That is why another one says: "The righteous one is a proclaimer of himself in the first word" (Prov. XVIII, 17). This means that the main thing is not to blame oneself, but to blame oneself first, and not to wait for a rebuke from others. Here is Peter, since after his heavy renunciation (of Christ) he himself immediately remembered his sin and confessed his guilt without any accusator, and wept bitterly (Matt. XXVI, 75); then he washed his renunciation so that he even became the first among the apostles, and the whole world was entrusted to him. But it is necessary to return to the subject. What has been said has sufficiently shown us that falling brethren should not be left uncared for and neglected; that it is necessary to warn them against sin, and to take much care of them after sin. Doctors do the same: they tell healthy people what can preserve their health and drive away any disease, and they do not abandon those who have ignored their commands and fallen into illness, but then they especially show great care to free them from illness. Thus did Paul: he did not abandon the fornicator after that grave iniquity, which is not found even among the pagans, but even then, when he rejected the bridle, did not want to accept healing, he jumped and fought back, brought him to healing, and brought him to such a point that he was again united with the body of the Church. And he did not say to himself: what success to expect, what good? He has committed fornication, committed sin, and does not want to give up debauchery, but is still haughty, proud, and makes the wound incurable; So let's leave him and abandon him. He said nothing of the sort; on the contrary, it was for this very reason that he showed special solicitude, that he saw him plunged into terrible depravity, and did not cease to frighten, threaten and punish, to use all measures and means, both himself and through many others, until he brought him to the consciousness of sin, to a sense of lawlessness, and completely cleansed him of all defilement. So do you; be jealous of that Gospel Samaritan who showed so much care for the wounded. There the Levite walked by, and the Pharisee also walked; and neither one nor the other bent down to the lying man, but both left him without pity or compassion and went away. A certain Samaritan, who was not in the least close to him, did not pass by, but, stopping over him, took pity, and poured oil and wine on him; put him on a donkey, brought him to the inn, and gave one part of the money, and promised the other part for the cure of a complete stranger to him (Luke 2:10). X, 30-35). And he did not say to himself, "What need have I to take care of him?" I'm a Samaritan, I have nothing to do with him; We are away from the city, and he cannot go. What if he couldn't bear the distance? Will I have to bring him dead, can they suspect me of murder, blame him for his death? For many, when they see wounded and scarcely breathing people walking along the road, pass by, not because it is difficult for them to lift (those lying down), or because they feel sorry for the money, but for fear that they themselves will be brought to court as guilty of murder. But that good and humane (Samaritan) was not afraid of any this, but, neglecting everything, put (the wounded) on an ass and brought him to the inn; he was not afraid of anything: neither danger, nor waste of money, nor anything else. If the Samaritan was so compassionate and kind to a stranger, how can we excuse our neglect of our brethren, who have suffered a much greater calamity? For these (Christians), who have fasted now, have fallen into the hands of robbers, the Jews, who are even more ferocious than all robbers, and do more evil to those who have fallen into their hands. They did not tear their garments, nor wounded their bodies, as they (the robbers) did, but wounded their souls, and having inflicted a thousand wounds on it, they departed, and they were left lying in the pit of wickedness.

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Let us not ignore such a calamity, let us not pass by such a pitiful spectacle without pity, but even if others do so, do not do so; Do not say to yourself: I am a worldly man, I have a wife and children, this is the business of priests, the business of monks. For the Samaritan did not say, "Where are the priests now?" Where are the Pharisees now? Where are the Jewish teachers? - No, as if he had found the greatest catch, he grabbed the prey. And when you see that someone needs healing for the body or for the soul, do not say to yourself: why did not so-and-so help him? No, deliver (the afflicted) from illness, and do not accuse others of carelessness. If, tell me, you had found the gold lying there, would you have said to yourself, Why did so-and-so not lift it up? On the contrary, will you not hasten to carry it away before the others? Thus reason about the fallen brethren, and consider the care of them a treasure find. For if you pour out a word of instruction on the fallen as if it were oil, if you bind him with meekness, if you heal him with patience; He will enrich you more than any treasure. If thou hast brought forth the honorable from the unworthy, saith the Lord, for thou shalt be my mouth (Jer. XV, 19). What can compare to this? What neither fasting, nor lying on the ground, nor all-night vigils, nor anything else can do, the salvation of the brother does. Think how many times your lips have sinned, how many shameful words you have uttered, how many blasphemies you have spewed out, how many curses; and all this you can compensate for by caring for the fallen, because by this good deed alone you can cleanse all this filth. And what do I say to cleanse? Thou shalt make thy mouth the mouth of God. What can be compared with this honor? I do not promise this; God himself said that if you bring out even one person, your lips will be like His lips, pure and holy. Therefore, let us not despise our brethren, and let us not, though everywhere, speak of how many have fasted, how many have been deceived; but we'd better take care of them. Though many fast, beloved, do not divulge or expose this misfortune to the church, but try to correct it. And if anyone says that many fasted, stop his mouth, so that this rumor does not spread; and say to him, I know no one; You, friend, have been deceived and speak lies; thou hast seen two or three deceived men, and thou sayest that there are many of them. In the same way, shut the mouth of the divider, and do not leave the deceived without attention, so that the church may benefit greatly both from the fact that this rumor is not spread, and from the fact that those who are carried away (into the synagogues) again come to the sacred flock. Let us not, going about everywhere, divulge who has sinned; but let us try to correct those who have sinned. It is a bad, truly bad habit only to revile one's brothers, but not to care for them; only to divulge the sufferings of the sick, but not to heal them. Let us, beloved, eradicate this bad habit; because it does no small harm, and that's exactly how. Someone has heard from you that many have fasted with the Jews, and without finding out anything, he has passed this news on to another; the latter, again without finding out anything, told the other about it: in this way, this evil rumor spreads little by little, and at the same time the church is more and more dishonored, and the lost are of no benefit, on the contrary, there is still harm to them and to many others. Though there be few of them, we multiply them by a multitude of stories, and weaken those that are still standing, and push those that are close to falling. A brother, hearing that many have fasted, will himself be more careless; likewise, the weak, hearing of the same thing, will flee to the multitude of the fallen. Therefore, even though there are many who have sinned, let us not gloat over this misfortune in such a way as to divulge about them and say that they are many; but let us restrain (and others) from this, and stop their mouths. Do not tell me that many have fasted, but correct these many. I have not spent so many words that you should revile many, but that I might make many few, or even save these very few. Therefore, do not divulge your sins, but heal them. Those who divulge, and are concerned only with this alone, do that, although there are few sinners, they are nevertheless counted many: on the contrary, those who forbid and stop the mouths of those who divulge, and moreover those who care for the fallen, even though there are many of them, easily correct them themselves, and do not allow anyone else to suffer harm from the rumor of their fall. Did you not hear what David said when he wept for Saul? How is the fall of the strong? Do not proclaim in Gath, but speak below about the outgoing Ascalonians, lest the daughters of the foreigners rejoice, nor let the daughters of the uncircumcised rejoice (2 Sam. I, 19, 20). But if David did not want the matter to be made public, lest the enemy should rejoice; how much more should this (the sin of Christians) not be brought to the ears of not only strangers, but even ours, so that enemies, hearing about it, do not rejoice, and their own, learning about it, do not fall; on the contrary, it is necessary to forbid and in every way restrain (from disclosure). Do not say to me, I have only told so-and-so; keep your word to yourself, for just as you could not endure to be silent, so he will not restrain himself.

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I say this not only about this fast, but also about other innumerable sins. Let us not only see how many have been carried away (to sin), but let us see how to lead them away (from sin). Let us not exalt the deeds of our enemies and humiliate ours; Let us not show our enemies strong and our deeds weak: but let us do the exact opposite. Rumor often suppresses and excites the soul; inspires jealousy, which was not there before, and extinguishes that which was. Therefore, I urge you to spread that rumor which exalts our deeds and gives them importance, and not that which covers the society of brothers with dishonor. Therefore, if we hear anything good, we will inform everyone about it; and if there is anything bad and bad, let us hide it in ourselves and try in every way to eradicate it. And now let's go around everywhere, reconnoitre, see who has fallen; and even if it were necessary to enter the house, let us not be lazy. If the fallen person is a stranger and a complete stranger to you, investigate and find out who his friend and companion is, whom he trusts most, and taking this person, enter the house; Do not be ashamed, do not blush. If you came to ask for money and receive some gift from him, then you should be ashamed; but if you go for his salvation, this reason for your coming frees you from all reproaches. Sit down and talk to him, beginning with something else, so that your desire to correct him will not be noticed. Tell me, do you praise the Jews because they crucified Christ, and now blaspheme Him, and call Him a lawless man? Of course, he will not dare, unless he is a Christian, even if he has been Judaized a thousand times, and does not dare to say: "I praise you"; on the contrary, he will close his ears and say to you: no, friend, talk about something else. Then, as soon as you have received his consent, begin again and say, 'How do you communicate with them?' Why do you participate in their holiday? Why do you fast with them? Then, condemn their wickedness, point out all the iniquity which I have set forth to your love in the days that have gone before, and which is rebuked by the place, and the time, and the temple, and the prophecies of the prophets; show that they do everything in vain and in vain, that they will never receive the former (social) order, and that they are not allowed to do anything like this outside of Jerusalem. And in addition to this, remind us of Gehenna, of the dreadful judgment seat of the Lord, of the tortures there, and of the fact that we will answer for all this, and that those who dare to do this will face no small punishment. Remember also Paul, who says: "By the law ye shall be justified, thou shalt fall away from grace" (Gal. V, 4), and again threatens, "If you are circumcised, Christ profiteth you nothing" (v. 2). Say again that both circumcision and the fast of the Jews deprive the fasting of heaven, even though he has a thousand other good works. Say that we are called Christians in order that we may obey Christ, and not in order to run to these enemies. But if he points out any healing, and tells you that (the Jews) promise to heal, and therefore he runs to them, reveal their tricks, charms, pendants, potions. They cure in no other way than in this way; However, it only seems that they cure, but in fact they do not cure - not at all. I will go even further, and say this: if the Jews do heal, it is better to die than to run to the enemies of God, and through them to receive healing. In fact, what is the use of healing the body when the soul is dying? What is the benefit here (on earth) to receive some relief, and there to be sent into the fire that does not quench? And so that these healings may not be pointed out, listen to what God says: "If a prophet arises in you, or sees a dream, and gives a sign and a wonder, and a sign and a wonder come, saying, 'Let us go and serve another god: let you not listen to that prophet: for the Lord God tempts you, if you love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul" (Deut. XIII, 1-3). This means: if any prophet says: I can raise the dead, or heal the blind, only listen to me, and let us worship demons, or serve idols; Then, even if he who says this were to heal a blind man, or raise up a dead man, do not listen to him even after that. Why? Because God, tempting you, allowed him to do this, not because He Himself did not know the disposition of your soul, but in order to give you an opportunity to prove whether you truly love God. And it is characteristic of the lover not to abandon the beloved, even though those who try to distract us from him raise up the dead. But if God thus spoke to the Jews, how much more to us, whom He led to the highest wisdom, to whom He opened the door of the resurrection, whom He commands not to be attached to the present, but to direct all hopes to the life to come.

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But what say thou? What torments and torments you with bodily illness? But you have not yet endured as much as the blessed Job, (you have not endured) even the smallest part (of his sufferings). After the flocks of sheep and oxen and everything else (property) had suddenly perished, all the children were stolen from him; and all this happened in one day, in order not only by the nature of the temptations, but also by their unceasing following, to suppress the ascetic. And after all these losses, he, having received incurable sores on his body, saw worms crawling out of his body, sitting naked on a dung heap, and presented to everyone a spectacle of misery - he, a righteous man, true, godly, shunning all evil things (Job. I, 1). But the calamities did not stop there, no; day and night illnesses were added, and he was tormented by some strange and unusual hunger. For the stench is in vain, he said, my brush (Job. VI, 7). Then there are daily reproaches, curses, swearing, laughter. My servants, he said, and the sons of my liaisons have risen up against me (XIX, 16-18); then horrors in dream visions, a kind of continuous agitation in thoughts (VII, 14). And his wife promised him deliverance from all these calamities, saying: "Speak a certain word to the Lord, and die" (II, 9), pronounce blasphemy against God, and you will be freed from the calamities that weigh upon you. What then? Did this advice shake the holy man? On the contrary, he only strengthened him, so that he reproached his wife even more. He wanted rather to grieve, to be in distress, and to endure innumerable misfortunes, than to obtain deliverance from so many calamities by blasphemy. In the same way, he who had been sick for thirty-eight years (paralytic) came to the font every year, and each time he left without receiving healing; he saw annually that others, having many acolytes, were healed, but he constantly remained paralyzed, for lack of anyone to help him. And in spite of this, he did not resort to magicians, did not go to sorcerers, did not impose bandages on himself, but waited for help from God; therefore he finally received a miraculous and extraordinary healing (John 1:10). V, 5-9). And Lazarus was constantly tormented by hunger, sickness, and loneliness, not only thirty-eight years, but a whole life: so he died, lying at the gate of the rich, enduring contempt and ridicule, tormented by hunger, thrown as it were to be devoured by dogs, because his body was so weakened that he could not drive away even the dogs that ran and licked the pus on him. he did not seek a sorcerer, did not hang himself with pendants, did not resort to magic, did not invite sorcerers to him, and did not do anything forbidden at all, but resolved to die in these calamities rather than betray his piety in any way (Luke 1:11). XVI, 20, 21). What excuse are we if, while these people have patiently endured so many misfortunes, we flee to the synagogues, either because of fever or wounds, and invite sorcerers and wizards into our homes? Have you not heard what the Scripture says? Child, if you begin to work for the Lord, prepare your soul for temptation: straighten your heart, and be patient: in sickness and poverty, trust in it. As gold is tempted in the fires, so a man is pleasant in the furnace of humility (Sirach. II, 1-5). If you beat your servant, and he, having received thirty or fifty blows, immediately cries out for release, or leaves you, his master, and goes to another one of your enemies, and thereby irritates (you), can he, tell me, receive forgiveness? Can anyone stand up for him? Nohow. Why? Because the master has the right to punish the servant; And not only for this reason, but also because, if it was already necessary (for the servant) to have recourse (to someone), it was not to enemies, not to haters, but to sincere friends (of the master). And you, when you see that God is punishing you, do not turn to His enemies, the Jews, so as not to provoke Him even more, but to His friends, the martyrs, His holy saints, who have great boldness towards Him. But what can we say about servants and masters? The son cannot do this because of the beatings from his father, and refuse to be related to him. Both natural and human laws command (the son) to endure everything complacently: whether he (the father) beats him, deprives him of the table, drives him out of the house, or punishes him in any way; and if (the son) does not submit and does not endure (punishment), no one forgives him. No, no matter how much the beaten son complains, everyone says to him these words: "You have been beaten by your father and master, who has the power to do whatever pleases him; and (you) must endure all things with meekness." Thus servants carry from their masters, and sons from their fathers, often even when they punish them unjustly; And thou shalt not suffer punishment from God, Who is above (all) masters, and loves thee more than (all) fathers, Who undertakes and does all things, not out of wrath, but for (thy) benefit? On the contrary, as soon as some slight illness occurs, you immediately deviate from His dominion, run to the demons, and hurry to the synagogues?! Can you finally receive forgiveness? How will you be able to call upon Him again? Can anyone else, even if he has the boldness of Moses, intercede for you? No one. Do you not hear what God says to Jeremiah about the Jews? I pray not for these people, for if Moses and Samuel become, I will not hear them (Jer. VII, 16; XV, 1). Thus, there are sins that are beyond all forgiveness and cannot be forgiven. Let us not incur such great wrath (of God). Moreover, the Jews, even though they apparently put an end to the fever (in the body) by their charms, in fact they do not stop it, for this reason they introduce another cruel fever into the conscience, since the thought will wound you every day, the conscience will torment you, and say: "You have done wickedly, you have committed iniquity, you have broken the covenant with Christ, because of a slight illness you have betrayed godliness. Have you been the only one who has been subjected to this? Have not others suffered much more than you? Yet none of them dared to do anything like this: but you, weak and pampered, have destroyed your soul. How will you answer Christ? How will you call upon Him in your prayers? With what conscience will you finally enter the church? With what eyes will you look at the priest? With which hand will you touch the sacred table? With what ears will you listen to the Scriptures that are read there"?

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